drewg

Well, they are the 5th largest economy in the world (after the US, Japan, Germany and the UK) and the has the 3rd largest (46.2b$, second only to the US' 455.1b$ and the UK's 47.4b$)1 defence budget. France is one of the most powerfull countries in the European Union, but compared to the US their economic and military power is indeed a lot less. As biznatch pointed out, France is also a cultural power, but they no longer hold the strong cultural position they held from the time around King Louis XIV until the first half of the 20th century. English is now undoubtably the most common lingua franca, and American cultural influence can be felt in every corner of the world. Again, France is a world power, but they are not a superpower.

Anyway. I'd have to go with the English as the classic French haters. They've fought countless wars with each other, with the balance of power tilting back and fourth over the centuries. They are true historical rivals. The US has never fought France, and has been their allies in at least 3 major conflicts. However, both the French and the Americans tend to pride themselves with being the founders of the modern democratic state, which is a source of conflict.

Me, being a Norwegian dislike both France and the US (actually, we dislike everyone larger than us, which is actually most countries in the world), but not nearly as much as hate Sweden. Darn Swedes